Buzzards Bay

Officially recognized as “an estuary of national significance” under the National Estuary Program, Buzzards Bay is an iconic and beloved place. Home also to the historic Port of New Bedford — the nation’s largest fishing port by revenue — the bay is an important economic driver to the region as well as a destination for recreating, where residents and thousands of summer visitors each year flock to fish, boat, and enjoy area beaches and scenic views.

Nine towns fringe the 28-mile-long bay, with Falmouth on the easternmost point and, moving westward, Bourne, Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, New Bedford, Dartmouth, and Westport. Of these, two are officially part of Cape Cod, in addition to being partially in the Bay watershed — Falmouth and Bourne — with neighboring Wareham considered the unofficial “Gateway” to the Cape. The Elizabeth Islands and the Town of Gosnold, covered in a previous State of the Coast report (2021), form the eastern boundary of Buzzards Bay.

As soon as 2050, this region is projected to experience a variety of climate change impacts to both natural and developed areas along its 200 miles of coastline. At particular risk are its 4,750 acres of salt marsh, an ecologically rich landscape that also helps to buffer storm surge and absorb excess rainwater. In just 30 years, 1,150 acres of marsh in this region (24% of the Bay’s total) may be lost to sea level rise, with almost 3,500 acres of high marsh (79% of total) transitioning primarily to low marsh and tidal flats in the same timeframe [CIT. 6]. When salt marsh transitions, or is lost altogether, an important buffering habitat is gone. With flooding impacts already expected to be significant for several towns in this region as soon as 2050, it lends additional urgency to conserving and adapting the region’s marsh or allowing pathways for migration.

Flooding impacts are expected to vary by town — with some residential areas on higher ground, or in New Bedford’s case, protected by a hurricane barrier constructed in the mid-60s for $18.6 million. For towns at the head of the bay, a “funnel effect” is at play, with storm surge concentrating as it moves up the bay and putting these areas at more risk of flooding impacts. For towns exposed to open ocean — Westport and Dartmouth — infrastructure damage, flooding, and more erosion is projected from storms and wave energy. Overall, as soon as 2050 more than 13,000 structures around the bay could be flooded in a 10-year storm, with 52% of those structures in just two towns at the head of the bay — Wareham and Bourne [CIT. 5].

At the outset of this year’s report process, calls with conservation agents, town administrators, conservation agents, engineers, and others were conducted to understand the main challenges and areas where adaptation is needed. With each town having already completed Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness planning, common threads emerged including the need for funding and the lack of staff capacity to address adaptation needs. With many of the desired projects involving flood-prone downtown areas, vulnerable low-lying wastewater infrastructure, and at-risk coastal roads, a regional strategy could be a vital tactic for this region to collectively address threats and adapt for impacts — impacts that will not stop at town borders.